Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-06-16
UNCLE JIMMY CANNON.
THE ONLY LIVING SURVIVOR OF
The AlAMo'S FALL.

.
The AlAMo'S FALL.
His wenSersai and Romantic History
| Sasee That Terrible Massscrc-Guide.
I Ssopt and Interpr~tcr--His Life Among
I the wnd Uasatered savagcs-
! Especial corresponaencel
| MILWAUKEE, June 8.
| lt viii be news to the general reader
/ 10 learn saat the sole male survivor
1 u the massacre which followed the fall
4 o. she Alamo Is now an inmate OF the
National Home for Disabled Veterans near
( aAs eisy. Accounts Of the massacre state
sasa gre woman. q servant and one child
< were al WAC escaped
4 sslss eAAki now = man Of sixty, Is Capt
\ W>rn Ssssss Cannon, or, as he is more famil
4 tslisS Ar,esa al over the western states,
( 'sIpn,ts .aszaxayr Cannon, guide, interpreter
s,h 4niltsA swat The old man bears on his
/ rsasssnn rrsrss ~ sixteen wounds received at
tliffs-ant Hsmas lie is ROW suffering from
swere b,llts wound In the les. received las.
wear while aSvg rSsA Ger Miles hunting
I Geronimo
I He Is sliShs,c I!nasr ssx tees in height,
stnusly h,iiie wsitl pheasant tace framed in
/ Nv q HRS ri snsw ~fsits Aaar. He recalls
dates and places with sas ac;asr,scy c{ an ency-
| clopeifia E1e has with h4rn hss Of the wall
at the Alamo in front ID which lie buried his
mother, two sisters and brother, while on
/ the hin not far away hes the body of
! his father, all Victims Of the fury Of the
Maxicans
In q recent interview SCncie Jimmy" said
| to the writer, Il can remember the scenes
connected with the fan of the Alamo dis
! ,
had been given by my parents to a Mexican
woman TO be taken care of. When the Mex-
cans came this woman sat holding Col
James Bowie's head in her lap. ! was sitting
by her side. After the Others had been
killed Mexican soldier came into the room,
put his gun to Bowie's forehead and fired
The blood and brains scattered all over the
room and some went into my face. As soon
as Bowie was killed the Mexican woman took
me and hid me in an old cistern. She and
and Mrs. Dickinson, who was taken out be-
fore the massacre, were the only survivors of
! that fearful day. After the Mexicans left
was taken up out Of the cistern and given to
gentleman, who was to take me to rela-
tiyes. When two days out we were attacked
by Comanches and was taken captive.
"The next eight years I passed among the
western Indians, being traded from one tribe
languages, and was able to converse, and am
now, with thirty different tribes"
"Uncle Jimmy" commenced his career after
escaping from the Indians, by taking part in
what he styles, with grim humor, the "bean
pulling expedition" Of Col Donahue Just
previous to the breaking out of the Mexican
war that officer collected together a company
Of what would have been known twenty years
later as 'bushwhackers," and started down to
the Mexican border on a raid To this troop
young Cannon joined himself The company,
after being out few days, were surrounded
and all killed but forty-fve, in which number
were Cannon and the Mexican half breed
guide. The next morning." said Uncle
Jimmy, "a lieutenant carrying an arroyo
jug, followed by man with a blanket.
came over to where we We're. The
jug was filed with black and white beans.
This was placed on the ground near us and
the blanket laid few feet away. 4uen we
were blindfolded and one hand loosened.
This we put in the jug and pulled out a bean.
We were marched over to the blanket where
the bean was dropped, then the hand was
tied back again and the bandage taken off.
In front on the blanket was the bean. Ii
black it meant death, and the poor wretch
who drew it was marched off to one side. Ii
the bean was white he was taken to the other
side. In that way fifteen of our fellows were
selected to be shot, and shot they were at
once. The corpses were stripped and rolled
into bayon near by. The thirty lucky ones
were paroled and after they had stripped us
of everything they took fancy to, our cap
tors allowed us to leave. I knew they did
not mean to let us 60 clear, but were lust
playing with us as cat with a mouse. So
when we came to place where the grass was
al NDtrt spf I,,r~ al
down and wormed our way off to one side.
The others went on and i'll less than half an
hour in our hiding place we heard volleys of
musketry. We knew it must come from the
Mexicans, as our men had no guns. In a few
minutes the firing ceased and all was still.
Every one OF the twenty eight men had been
Killed. The guide and l waited until dark
and then made for an Indian tribe in that
vicinity, with whom we remained until we
could get back to our friends When the
Mexican war broke out enlisted in the first
company formed. Capt McClcskey's, and
served through the war;"
After the war closed "Uncle JIMMY en-
tered upon his career as guide and interpre-
ter, III which capacity he found employment
up to year ago.
During his time the old man has been the
means of rescuing nine women and Children
from Indian captivity.
The rescue of Miss Brand in 1870 and
that earlier of Miss Mortimer, were mad,
under circumstances which lent to them the
exciting interest of the best of Capt, Mavne
Reds stories. The graphic story of these
deeds OF daring is told very modestly by the
old man as follows: Miss Mortimer was can't
ured one day near place called Kane Hin
Ark, by the kiowas. She was held by them
three or four weeks when succeeded in re-
leasing her near where Pueblo now stands
came up to the tribe one evening Just as the
squaWs were preparing to burn the girl. Albion
the chief son, wanted to marry her This mad.
the sqnaws mad So they took Miss Mortme,
and tied her to small tree about 800 or 400 hun.
dred yards from the tepees. When I came nm |
with the camp the girl was standing tied To a |
Small tree not bigger around than a stovepipe
Around the tree was piled big heap of brush
ready Tor lighting The squaws were dancing
around her III circle as they always do. Each |
one carried a torch, which she waved as sb.. |
uahcF-d around the circle. IL was a mighty hare
looking sight. In the circle stood Albion Re-. |
tween me and the tree ran a narrow monntain
stream. IL was about waist deep, but swift. !
mad come TO rescue the girl and was
pound TO do so stay there with her
/ nv I,,ar --~.' |